In The Bleak Midwinter
by pensandbooks
Summary: Kara's only reason for coming to Small Heath was to get revenge for her sister's murder, hoping this will finally bring her peace. She never expected to get sucked into the world of the Shelby family when she accepts the help of the Peaky Blinders or to stumble upon a soul just as damaged as hers. Tommy/OC.
1. PROLOGUE

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Peaky Blinders characters, only the ones I have created.**

 **PROLOGUE: IN WHICH SMALL HEATH IS VISITED BY UNEXPECTED GUESTS**

 _"Take a little walk to the edge of town. And go across the tracks."_

Small Heath was a hole - a filled to the brim by criminals and dirt infested hole.

Everyone in Birmingham knew this, and it didn't take long for the ones who didn't to find out.

Tonight was like any other night - working men from the factory were rushing home or going to the pub.

The only difference with tonight was that some men stopped to stare at two figures walking the very same, cobbled streets - a man and a woman.

Heads turned into their direction because they weren't a familiar face in their small, little town.

 _"Where the viaduct looms. Like a bird of doom. As it shifts and cracks"_

They weren't from around here, that much was clear, but that wasn't the only reason every pair of eyes seemed to gravitate towards them.

A dark, mysterious aura surrounded them in the way they walked.

Their eyes – both a swirl of the deepest and clearest green and blue imaginable – stared straight ahead and their sharp cheekbones and straight noses suggested they were family.

 _"Where secrets lie in the border fires. In the humming wires. Hey man, you know you're never coming back."_

The siblings – because that's what they indeed were – walked with a purpose as they turned onto Garrison Lane.

The sky was dark above their heads as night fell, but lingering smoke from the nearby factory clouded the stars.

 _"Past the square, past the bridge. Past the mills, past the stacks"_

They entered a pub at the end of the street with letters above that spelt _The Garrison Tavern_ and a small sign at the window told them there were rooms available

They were met with laughter and chatter and the smell of ale and smoke.

 _"On a gathering storm comes a tall handsome man."_

They took off their gloves and hats as they approached the bar – some of the laughter had died down and people stared at the two newcomers with wary eyes.

A man at the bar was wiping a mug with a dirty cloth but looked up at the siblings.

"Can I help ya?" he asked with a frown on his face as he put away the mug and cloth.

The woman's painted red lips turned upwards into a smile.

"We'd like to book a room."

The man called Harry Fenton, the owner of the Garrison, pressed his lips together and studied them for a moment before shrugging.

"For how long?"

The woman shared a look with her brother before saying: "Indefinitely."

 _"In a dusty black coat with_

 _A red right hand"_


	2. PART 1 CHAPTER 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Peaky Blinders characters, only the ones I have created.**

 **PART 1:** **IN WHICH KARA GETS ACQUAINTED WITH THE SHELBY FAMILY**

 **CHAPTER 1**

 _Screaming. I heard screaming - it invaded my eardrums and made me want to press my hands to my head._

 _Daniel ran towards me – his eyes filled with concern and he took the letter from my hands as I dropped onto my knees into the dirt._

 _Who was screaming?_

 _My cheeks felt wet and I when I touched them I realized I was crying._

 _My chest clenched painfully as if someone had driven a dagger through it._

 _I heard Daniel break down beside me and felt him drop to the ground too, his arms were around me and he was sobbing into my shoulder._

 _I couldn't move._

 _I gasped for breath and I realized I was the one screaming – it was a strange sound, I had never heard come out of my mouth before._

 _"She's dead," Daniel cried._

I opened my eyes and was met with a small streak of sunlight shining through a crack in the curtains.

My chest was still rising rapidly of the nightmare I had had and it was then I realized my hand had closed around the knife under my pillow.

I slowly pried my fingers off the hilt one by one and rubbed my face tiredly – it was late when we had arrived at Small Heath and finally settled in our rooms.

I propped myself up on my elbows and stared at the bleak wall where the wallpaper was chipped and stained.

My brother – Daniel – was probably still asleep behind it in the next room.

I wish we didn't have to stay here, but Daniel had made a good point in saying we'd attract less attention here in Small Heath while we plan our next move.

I glanced at my watch on the bedside table beside me and noticed it was still early.

I got up from my bed to splash some water into my face from the small basin and went to get dressed, knowing that I wouldn't be able to sleep some more.

With a pin I moved my dark curls to the back on one side and hoped it would stay that way – my dress was a bit crinkled, but I didn't particularly care with the lack of sleep I had.

I stepped out and descended the stairs to the small pub we had first entered last night - _The Garrison._

"Y'er up early," the owner commented as he noticed me. He sat at a table with a newspaper in front of him and a cup of coffee.

I nodded, not feeling like explaining myself and went for the door.

"What are you and y'er brother here for anyway? We don't really get visitors here." His voice stopped me on my way o the door and I glanced over my shoulder.

"There's a first for everything," I merely said before stepping outside.

It was chilly outside, but I enjoyed the fresh air as it cleared my mind.

People were already up and about in Small Heath – some factory men went to work, children were rushing by, to school probably, and women walked by with baskets on their arms.

The town was awful – it smelled horrible due to the factory and horses and it was filled with criminals - at least if the rumours are to be trusted.

My hand went to the small silver case of cigarettes in the pocket of my coat and lighting one, I took a long drag, the smoke chasing away the last remnants of my nightmare - or I should rather say _memory._

That's when I first saw him. Thomas Shelby.

Of course, I didn't know his name back then or the influence he had in the town. He was on a horse, a beautiful one at that, as he passed me. People all around him nodded at him or said their greetings, maybe a bit nervously.

He was dressed in a fine, tailored and expensive looking suit and he wore a peaked cap on his head. The sides of his head were shaved expertly, as was his face.

A cigarette hung from his lips and as I took another drag of mine, his eyes fell on me – the bluest eyes I had ever seen, even from where I was standing I realized he must make the hearts of many women beat a little faster with those looks.

His eyes stayed on me and he hesitated - almost tugging on the reins to stop the horse, but he didn't.

I finished my cigarette and stepped back into the pub to find my brother talking to the owner.

"Kara," Daniel said with a nod, taking in my crinkled dress and lack of sleep.

"Morning, Daniel," I said swiftly, taking a seat next to him at the bar. "How'd you sleep?"

His dark hair was combed back from his face and I could see the dark shadows under his green, blue eyes – the same eyes that were so like my own. "Thought so," I said, not waiting for an answer.

"I was just talking to Mr. Fenton here about the upcoming Kempton races." I raised an eyebrow.

"Please call me Harry," the owner said.

"So you're interested in the horse races, eh?"

I glanced at my brother quickly catching on what he was doing - _he was making sure no one would get suspicious of our stay here -_ and I plastered a smile on my face.

"Oh yes, I love seeing them. My family kept horses when we were little, you see."

Harry nodded. "I don't know why you're not staying closer to Kempton though. Not many people choose to stay here."

My brother shrugged and I had to give it to him – he was a good actor. "Well, we were passing through and my sister has never really liked the big cities. Makes her anxious."

 _Well, that wasn't completely a lie._

Harry still didn't look convinced, so I pushed on. "Besides, we know people around here like to gamble a bit too, don't they? We thought we'd earn a little extra money to finance the rest of our trip in England by placing a bet."

Harry looked a little reluctant to say the following: "Well, there's a betting shop here, alright." My brother and I just stared at him.

Harry sighed. "It's not exactly legal."

I grinned at him. "Oh Harry, don't you know that those are the best kinds. Where could we find it?"

"It's on Watery Lane. Two blocks from here. It's owned by the Peaky Blinders, but I wouldn't get involved with them if I were you."

I shared a look with Daniel and a smirk tugged on my lips.

The rest of our day was spent at the pub which became gradually more crowded and we chatted with some of the locals, buying them drinks and asking questions occasionally when they were getting tipsy.

It seemed that everyone knew about the Peaky Blinders.

 _"They're a gang full of criminals,"_ one man had said disgustedly and a little boldly, but then he quickly glanced around to make sure no one had heard him.

 _"They're keeping this town together, that's what they do. When the coppers do nothing, ya can always count on the Blinders."_

 _"I heard they're doing some illegal business."_

Besides the Peaky Blinders, we found out that there was a horse here in Small Heath that was gonna compete in the Kempton Races.

Another man was telling us that his money was on this horse, Monaghan Boy, as he had seen a Chinese girl putting a spell on the animal earlier today.

I shared a knowing look with my brother when the doors of the pub opened and two men walked in. People around us shifted nervously and some of the laughter quieted down.

I studied them from the corner I was sitting at, my hand around a glass of Irish whiskey.

They looked like brothers to me. Both were dressed in fine suits and wore peaked caps.

One looked to be in his thirties and had a bushy moustache whereas the other seemed to be in his early twenties and had a matchstick sticking out of his mouth.

My brother continued his conversation with the man at the next table who had told us about the spell on Monaghan Boy.

I saw the older one glancing around, his eyes staying a moment longer on me before shifting to Daniel and the other man.

He tapped his brother on the arm and walked over to us.

"Yep, so, if ya want to bet on a 'orse, ya best do it on Monaghan Boy," the man next to us finished with a hiccup.

"George!" The man with the moustache yelled out, slapping him on the shoulder.

"Y'er trying to get everyone gambling their money these days? Hoping to earn a little extra, do ya?"

His voice was teasing, but his eyes were narrowed as he looked me and Daniel over.

"I'm sure y'er boring the pretty lady and her husband, George."

George looked a bit panic-stricken, especially as the younger fellow stepped closer too.

"No, Mr. Shelby. They seemed interested."

"He's not my husband," I commented. "And we _were_ interested in the races actually."

The older Shelby looked surprised at me speaking up before he grinned and shamelessly looked me up and down, his eyes lingering on my chest.

"The races are no place for a lady such as yourself."

His brother grinned at this. "Nah, especially not for an Irish lady."

I was mildly surprised they knew we were Irish – we hid our accents well.

"I fail to see how that's any of your business," I snapped. Daniel stiffened beside me, his foot tapped mine lightly as a warning.

This only seemed to amuse the older Shelby more and he dropped into a chair at our table, his brother doing the same.

"A feisty Irish lady at that, John Boy."

I pressed my lips together and took out a cigarette from my silver case.

"Well then, what would ya like to know? Me and John know all about the races."

He spoke to me and me alone, leaving Daniel out. As they sat down, the smell of ale and smoke accompanied them.

John grinned too, taking the matchstick out of his mouth before lighting it quickly with a swipe at the wooden table and holding it in front of me so I could light my cigarette.

The door of the pub opened again and someone entered.

"We were thinking of placing a bet on one of the horses at the Kempton Races," Daniel explained, a small smile tugging at his lips. The older Shelby took his eyes off me rather reluctantly to focus on my brother.

John kept his eyes on me as his brother took off his cap and swiped his hair back which was longer at the top of his head and shaved on the sides.

My eyes dropped to his cap on the table - there was a razor blade sewn into the edge. _Interesting._

"Well, there's the horses Rockferry, Bourbon, Percy Piper, Heaven's Gate, Drummer Boy, Sovereign, Smoking Gun and of course, Monaghan Boy." He tapped his knuckles on the table while thinking it over.

"Was that all of 'em, John Boy?"

A figure stepped up to our table.

"What are we discussing, lads?"

His voice was low and husky and when I glanced up, I recognized him from earlier today when he had been riding a horse.

I also now realized he must also be related to these other two Shelby's - they shared some of the same features.

His eyes stunned me again and from up close I could make out his thick, black lashes that any woman would be jealous of and his sharp, high cheekbones.

He really was a piece of art, I thought.

The older brother looked a little miffed at being interrupted.

"These lovely people want to place a bet, Tommy, and I was just explaining the Kempton Races to them."

The newcomer switched his stare from Daniel to me and his expression remained cool and unwavering as he took out a cigarette, placing it between his lips.

"Is that so, Arthur?"

"We heard there's a betting shop at Watery Lane," Daniel spoke up, lifting his glass to his mouth.

His blue, hypnotising eyes stayed on mine when he answered: "You heard right. We own it."

I raised an eyebrow. These Shelby's seemed to be getting more interesting by the minute.

"So, you're the Peaky Blinders."

 **A/N:** Hi everyone, since I just finished Peaky Blinders and absolutely loved it, I decided to start this story.

Please let me know what you think and if I should continue!


	3. PART 1 CHAPTER 2

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own any of the Peaky Blinders characters, only the ones I have created.**

 **A/N: Just a forewarning that I changed Jo's name to Kara... This will be explained later on!**

 **CHAPTER 2**

"Come on, Daniel, they're closing soon for the day," I yelled and knocked on his door again rapidly.

"Alright, alright," he shouted and came out. He wore a suit but without the jacket and he had the sleeves of his shirt rolled up. His hair was slicked back like always.

"Time to place a bet."

We walked our way to Watery Lane in silence except for the soft clicking of my heels on the sidewalk.

We knew what to do after gathering enough information the day before at the Garrison.

I smiled upon remembering our conversation with the infamous Shelby brothers.

 _"So, you're the Peaky Blinders."_

Arthur had smirked at that. _"See that, Thomas, the lady's heard of us already."_

 _"We're bloody famous,"_ John had laughed. It was clear that they already had a bit too much to drink before coming here.

Thomas had just stared at me with that unwavering look of his. _"You want to place a bet, come by tomorrow at Watery Lane."_

 _"_ _Kara and I will be there,"_ Daniel had answered and then, being the proper gentleman he was, had at that point stuck out his hand to the head of the Shelby's – because there was no doubt that this man, without being the oldest, was clearly the leader.

 _"Daniel Kelly."_

At that point Shelby had pulled his eyes off me to shake the hand held out to him and with a nod he said:

 _"Thomas Shelby."_

 _Thomas Shelby._ He was an intriguing man – behind those blue eyes I could sense a storm brewing, but he managed to keep a straight face at all times.

Daniel opened the door before me and we stepped into a large room that was full of people shouting at each other, people sitting at desks and scribbling down names or counting shillings.

On one side of the room was a large chalkboard and John stood in front of it with a chalk in his hand he was writing the odds of the horses on the board.

He looked different when he was sober, more alert and focused on the job. We moved to a table up front where there was one other person placing a bet.

When it was our turn, I did the talking.

I was wearing a dark blue dress of the softest material I had, my lips were red and my hair was up.

I smiled at the young man at the table and I could see his mouth drop. Daniel sniggered.

"Hi, we'd like to place a bet," I said, dropping a small bag of coins in front of him.

He gulped, his eyes going over my legs before stumbling to get the bag open and to count the contents.

I placed a hand on the table and leaned forward a little. "We do have a teensy question, however."

The boy looked up again and I did pity him at that moment – he looked as if this was his first day on the job. "Yes, Miss?"

"Now, we favour one horse in particular," I continued.

"Monaghan Boy."

Daniel had crossed his arms and seemed more interested in John's writing on the wall.

"But what we would like to know is how many times Monaghan Boy has raced before."

The boy swallowed. "Eh, I don't know, Miss. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say,-"

I gave him a pointed look. "Surely, that's not such a strange question."

From the corner of my eye I could see someone coming our way – the smell of smoke and something else, something dark and mysterious, drifted over.

"Is there a problem?" The head of the Shelby's asked, looking down at the boy.

He was dressed formidably as always and his cap pulled low over his head so when he looked down, his eyes were shadowed.

I straightened up and noticed Daniel had walked over to where John was standing to get a closer look at the board.

Feeling the young boy shouldn't be punished for something I asked, I quickly said:

"We were just wondering how many races Monaghan Boy has done, Mr. Shelby."

His blue eyes focused on me, an eyebrow raised. "Does it matter, Mrs. Kelly?"

I refrained from telling him I _wasn't_ Mrs. in fact but decided to wait.

"Come on now, Mr. Shelby, let's not play games with each other here. We both know that it _does_ matter."

Shelby didn't respond, instead, he considered me, a calculated look in his eyes.

"I know that there was a sort of powder trick done on the horse," I teased, my voice making it clear that I didn't believe in such nonsense.

There was a hint of a smile on the man's face, making my heart skip a beat. "Times are hard. People need a reason to bet."

I crossed my arms and taking a step forwards, I softly smiled.

"Mr. Shelby, you and I both know how the races will go." His eyes followed my movements.

"Monaghan Boy will win his first race. And then the next time you do the powder trick he will win again and the whole of Small Heath will be betting on the horse. And then the third time the whole of Birmingham will be betting on it. A thousand quid on the magic horse."

His eyes stayed on mine, blue and piercing and my eyes dropped to his lips for a second.

"And then the horse will lose."

Thomas waved the young boy off who scurried away quickly. Thomas grabbed a cigarette and offered me one which I accepted.

After lighting it, I asked: "Tell me, Mr. Shelby. Do you have permission from Billy Kimber to fix races?"

"Are you working for Billy Kimber?" he countered just a beat later. I shook my head, trying not to show my clenched fists at the mention of that man.

"Billy Kimber hasn't heard of me yet. Now, do you want to place a bet or not?" I didn't miss the _yet_ in that sentence.

So, he knew Billy Kimber would not be pleased with what he was doing and he did it anyway.

I blinked at him, taking a drag off my cigarette.

He sighed. "This will be Monaghan Boy's first race."

I smiled. "Then we will."

He glanced down at the paper. "Alright, two pounds it is on Monaghan Boy for Mrs. and Mr. Kelly."

"No," I said.

He glanced up, raising an eyebrow and taking the cigarette out of his mouth.

"Ms and Mr. Kelly," I explained. "Daniel is my brother."

I wanted to see his reaction, to see if this pleased him or, well, I just wanted to see any emotion at all, really.

He blinked at me and took another drag of his cigarette between his finger and thumb before nodding and dotting it down. Then he called out: "Arthur!"

Upon seeing us, his older brother was quick to come over. "Well, if it isn't our lovely Irish guests." He gave me a big smile showing off his teeth.

Tommy ignored this and said: "Go get John, why don't you, Arthur. I think we should give our guests a proper welcome and buy them a drink."

 **A/N:** Thanks for reading!


	4. PART 1 CHAPTER 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Peaky Blinder's characters, only the ones I have created.**

 **CHAPTER 3**

Looking back, it surprised me how at ease I had felt with the Shelby brothers already.

As Daniel and I followed them into the Garrison pub, we weren't bothered by the looks we were getting not even when Thomas held open the door for me to the private room in the pub – it seemed that Harry Fenton was really only the owner by name.

The Shelby's didn't pay for their drinks naturally and because we were their company, we didn't either.

Maybe it had to do with the fact that Daniel and I weren't from here so we didn't understand yet how much influence the Shelby's had in Small Heath, Birmingham, how dangerous they were, what they were capable of, but I felt at ease that evening as I was seated between John and Arthur with a glass of whiskey in my hand and a cigarette in the other.

The brothers made me laugh, laugh in a way I hadn't done in God knows how long. Even Daniel was laughing along with the brothers and it lifted my heart to see.

Thomas, the second oldest of the family, didn't speak much, but whenever Arthur made a dirty joke, a smile would tug on his lips.

"So, I'm taking the two ladies to the pictures tomorrow," Arthur was telling John.

"Maybe you can take Kara with ya while they're waiting for the races to finish. I'm sure she finds our little town boring enough as it is."

Before Arthur could answer, Thomas interrupted.

"Unusual name, Kara is. Haven't heard it before, especially not in Ireland." It sounded almost like he was fishing for answers.

I smiled. "Well, I blame my parents. You see, our family has some roots in Norway. And my parents were a bit obsessed with the Norse mythology and their gods."

Daniel chuckled and leaned back against the wall. "A bit is putting it mildly."

"So, you were named after some Norse god," Thomas said, his eyes twinkling.

I smiled. "Goddess, Mr. Shelby," I corrected him. "You thought only men could be gods?" I raised an eyebrow as a challenge.

Arthur let out a cackle of laughter and John was grinning too. "She's got you there, Tommy."

Ignoring Arthur's teasing remark, I continued: "No, in fact, Kára was a Valkyrie Goddess. A warrior."

Thomas had a hint of a smile on his face. "Warrior, eh?" His eyes landed on my brother. "And what are you named after then, Daniel?"

"Just my grandfather, no god there. Fortunately, my mother talked my father out of naming me Thor. Although, it still kind of stuck with me."

He smiled and pulled his sleeve up a little farther, showing off the tattoo on his upper arm of a small hammer.

Arthur raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Thor was a blacksmith?"

"No, Thor was the god of Thunder, actually." Daniel grinned and pointed at his tattoo. "With this he could make thunderbolts appear in the sky."

They seemed interested in our stories of the Norse mythology and they shared a few of their own childhood.

"But I'm telling ya, Tommy, we need to keep an eye out for that Irish copper," Arthur sobered up a little while later.

I glanced at Daniel to see if he'd heard – his brows were knitted together at Arthur's words. What was an Irish policeman doing here in Small Heath?

 _Maybe he's been sent to take care of the Peaky Blinders._

John pulled a nasty face. "Fockin' coppers."

Arthur laughed and downing his drink, he said to me in a whisper: "We've got the coppers 'ere doing our bidding. Makes it easier for us to do our business."

I flipped my hair over one shoulder and looked at him with twinkling eyes. "What business would that be? Fixing races?"

Ignoring my question, Thomas simply took a drag from his cigarette. "I'll deal with the copper from Belfast, Arthur."

Arthur snorted and said to me: "Ever since we got back from France, Tommy's always said that. 'I'll deal with it'."

His words were slurred and his eyes a little crossed from the alcohol, but I smiled all the same. "Does he now?"

"Where were you stationed?" Daniel piped up, his interest peaked at the mention of the war.

"We were digging at the Battle of Verdun and the Somme," Arthur replied, looking up at my brother.

John sighed. "Kept finding dirt everywhere for weeks, didn't I? Under me nails, in me pockets."

Daniel's eyebrows raised. "You were tunnellers," he stated.

I could see he was impressed and even I had to admit that the Shelby brothers became even that more interesting to me.

Tunnellers were always met with some respect – they were volunteers and did most of the hard, dirty work.

Tommy took a long drag of his cigarette before exhaling, the smoke billowing around him. "Did you fight in the war, Daniel?" he asked.

Daniel nodded. "I did. I fought at Verdun."

His attention shifted to me. "Kara was there too. She was a nurse."

Thomas's eyes fell on me and he blinked. "I remember you," he said a second later.

I looked at him in surprise as did his brothers. John looked a little warily from me to Tommy.

"When I got injured it wasn't you who helped me, but I remember seeing you there covered in someone else's blood."

A strange feeling came over me, knowing that Thomas Shelby had seen me before.

 _Was that why I saw him hesitate yesterday morning?_

Our eyes were locked together and eventually, I was the first to look away when the door to the small private room opened.

A girl walked in carrying a bucket of ale. She had soft blonde hair and I realized she worked here, but as I noticed her face, my heart sank in my chest.

 _She looked so much like her._

"Alice?" Daniel croaked. My head whipped to him – he had gotten to his feet as soon as the girl entered the room, he looked confused, hurt.

The girl stopped in her tracks, looking surprised. "My name's Grace," she said in a soft Irish accent.

The Shelby brothers were following the situation with interest and surprise.

I forced a smile on my face. "Daniel, I think you've had had one too many whiskey's," I said. Daniel looked from the waitress to me and understanding crossed his face.

He cleared his throat and a ran a hand through his hair. "Right," he said. "I'm sorry. I confused you with someone else."

He let out a short laugh. "I think I'm gonna head up, Kara. I'm pretty tired."

I nodded and watched as he shook hands with John and Arthur before stepping up to Thomas.

"Thank you for tonight."

Thomas nodded. "Not a problem, Daniel. See you when the races are finished."

He awkwardly made his way past Grace who still looked a little put out, but quickly moved to place the bucket on the table and to fill our mugs with ale before leaving again.

"Alice was his wife, eh?" Arthur commented as Grace had left.

I finished my whiskey before replying: "No, Alice was his twin sister."

They were quiet after that. Thomas stared at me. "What happened to her?"

I stared right back, my chin high. "She was murdered."

John and Arthur looked a little shocked, but I kept my eyes on Thomas.

I stood up, pulling on my coat. "I think I will go for a walk before calling it a night too."

Arthur stood too, a frown on his face. "These parts of town aren't particularly safe for a woman alone."

I smiled at him and winked. "I'm sure I can take care of myself, Arthur, but thank you for your concern. Enjoy the pictures tomorrow."

He still didn't really look convinced, but he let it go.

"See you in two days, boys. We'll be collecting our winnings then, of course."

I left the room without knowing that Thomas' eyes followed me like a hawk.

Nor did I see the small shove John gave his elder brother or hear Arthur's comment about it being time someone took himself a wife.


	5. PART 1 CHAPTER 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Peaky Blinder's characters, only the ones I have created.**

 **CHAPTER 4**

Small Heath was awful during the day, so you can imagine what it was like during the night.

Drunks staggered passed me on the streets probably seconds away from collapsing on the ground or puking their guts out.

I lit a cigarette and stopped at one corner, sticking one hand in my coat as it was chilly outside.

My eyes felt heavy and I knew I had to go to bed, but images of Daniel's face when that waitress had walked in occupied my mind.

 _Grace,_ was her name.

Was the universe playing some kind of sick game with me? Everywhere we went, we were reminded of Alice somehow.

Photos of her mangled body flashed behind my eyes and I took another drag fighting the tears that threatened to fall.

"Is it the war keeping you up?" a low voice suddenly asked.

I turned sharply around and saw Thomas Shelby hovering nearby – a cigarette dangling between his lips, cap pulled low over his head.

"No," I answered truthfully. "The war doesn't bother me as much as it used to."

Something flashed in his blue eyes. Pain, jealousy? It was gone before I could take a better look.

My eyes dropped to the dark shadows underneath his eyes.

"I gather it is what keeps you up at night, however?" I said, giving him a nod.

"You look like you haven't slept in days."

He didn't say anything, but stepped closer, leaning against the stone wall beside me. His eyes swept over my face.

I saw him take in the unshed tears in my eyes, the exhaustion on my face, but he didn't comment on it.

"We all have our demons at night, Ms. Kelly. It doesn't stop me from doing business during the day," he said as if it was that simple.

"Neither does it with me," I retorted.

His jaw tightened and curiosity lit up his face.

"What business is it that you have here then, Ms. Kelly?"

His gaze was unwavering and his eyes darkened with something I didn't recognize.

Had he been standing this close from the beginning? I could almost count the small flecks of grey in his blue eyes.

"From the moment you stepped into my betting shop, I've been trying to figure you out," he told me, his eyes never leaving mine.

"One day you and your brother just arrived here in Small Heath where, mind you, no one ever comes, and you just decided to take a gamble, here of all places, under the pretence of needing money for the rest of your trip."

He started to sound agitated, his eyes were intense and they burned a hole into mine.

I opened my mouth to answer when he said:

"You don't need money, Ms. Kelly. You only placed a bet at the Kempton races so you'd have a reason for being 'ere."

I raised an eyebrow at that and he scoffed: "Anyone can tell by taking one look at you and your brother that you have enough coins in your pockets."

I pursed my lips, wondering if we truly looked that way.

"So, I've been racking my brain as to why you're really here. Is it my family?"

I remained quiet, unable to look away.

"You seemed very interested in our business from the start, batting your pretty eyes at my brothers and asking innocent questions about our business with Billy Kimber."

He took another step closer, lowering his face so that it was level to mine. I could feel his breath fanning my face.

"And that's when I realized it's not us you're interested in, but _him_. Small Heath is right at the edge of his jurisdiction and too small of a blind spot for anyone to notice."

For a moment I was worried the intensity of his gaze would burn me.

I pulled my eyes off his to land them on two men staggering by. It was a relief to be released from his gaze momentarily.

They had their arms around each other's shoulders and were singing a cheery song loudly and it was obvious they were both absolutely wasted.

I waited a second, debating on what to say and avoiding his burning stare that made my legs feel like jelly.

I took a deep breath and met his eyes again.

"Mr. Shelby, you're planning on doing business with Billy Kimber, aren't you?" I asked, not quite acknowledging that he was right.

He smiled faintly and dropped his eyes to the cigarette in his hand before flicking the ash off.

"You're a clever woman, Ms. Kelly," he said, his voice sounded gravelly from the many whiskey's I'd seen him drink this evening.

"I'd be lying if I told you I didn't know Kimber was gonna come for us when I fixed that race with Monaghan Boy. And when he does come, I plan on making a deal with him."

It surprised me how honest and straightforward he was being with me and felt a little guilty for keeping him in the dark.

I decided to give him part of the truth. I flung a lock of hair back from my face - his eyes following the movement like a cat did with its prey.

"You're right, I am interested in Billy Kimber. What if I told you, I was planning on striking up some sort of deal with him as well?"

 _A deal that involved a bullet in his head._

He was quiet for a bit and I could almost see the wheels spinning in his head.

I could tell that he knew I was still not telling him the whole truth, but he didn't pressure me for more.

Instead, he smiled and he placed his cigarette between his lips before holding out his hand.

"In that case, maybe we can help each other in getting his attention, Ms. Kelly."

I smiled too and flicked away my cigarette to the street. I took his hand.

"Maybe we can, Mr. Shelby."

~.~.~.~

"What happened with those, Harry?" I asked, coming down the next day and seeing some broken tables and chairs stacked in one corner.

The owner of the pub sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Ah, it's just that some people have a hard time getting the smoke and the mud out of their 'eads from the war, Ms. Kelly."

I raised an eyebrow. "I think anyone who's been to war has a hard time dealing with it, Harry."

Harry ducked to grab two empty mugs and went to fill them with ale. "I agree, but not everyone has episodes thinking that they're still at war like Danny Whizz-Bang did."

I simply nodded at that before he got out from behind the bar to bring the ale to two gentlemen.

I stood at the bar, drumming my fingers against the wood.

I didn't know who Danny Whizz-Bang was but understood what Harry was saying.

Sometimes when Daniel woke up from a nightmare, I had a hard time convincing him we had left France too.

"Can I get you anything?" a woman asked in an Irish accent. It was the waitress. Grace.

Unlike the night before when I had been drinking and it was dark, I could now see her face more clearly and thought she didn't look as much as Alice as I had originally thought.

Alice had the same blonde curls, but her face had had a softer look than this waitress.

I forced a smile on my face and sat down at one of the stools at the bar.

"Glass of water, please."

She nodded and when she had placed a glass in front of me, she bit her lip as if there was more she wanted to ask. She tried to scholar her features into an innocent look.

"You were with the Shelby's last night," she stated, trying to make it sound casual. I blinked.

Her cheeks flushed a little red. "I mean, I was just curious. Are you here to do business with them?"

 _Why did she care?_

"I'm in the means of negotiating business with the Shelby's," I merely said.

She opened her mouth to answer, but at that moment the doors of the pub opened and Thomas Shelby barged it.

 _Speaking of the devil._

Without sparing me a glance, he nodded at Grace.

"I need a bottle o' rum."

Harry who had been watching from the other side of the room, quickly scurried over. He whispered something in Grace's ear and I bent a little closer to catch the words.

 _"Grace, whatever it is, it's on the 'ouse."_

Grace looked a little startled, but didn't question it.

"A whole bottle?" she asked Thomas who nodded.

"White or dark rum?" She asked.

"Don't care." I glanced sideways at the Shelby brother. He looked a little dishevelled - he didn't have his cap on and his dark hair which was longer at the top stood a little upright.

Grace handed him the bottle. "Harry says it's on the house," she told him. Thomas paused for a second with the bottle in his hand and looked her over.

"Are you a whore?"

I choked on the sip of water I took and it's only then that Thomas noticed me.

"You can't ask a lady that, Mr. Shelby." His blue eyes flickered from Grace to me and he looked a little amused.

Grace pressed her lips together at the question and annoyance was written all over her face.

"Y'er gonna drink that whole bottle by yourself?" I asked with my eyes staring straight ahead. I took another sip of my water, trying not to spit it out this time.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw him move closer placing the bottle on the bar for a moment.

Grace had walked off to help another customer.

With him drafted over the scent of smoke and something else, something that I noticed before belonged to Thomas Shelby, it smelled of spices and whiskey.

 _I could get addicted to this scent._ I tried not to sniff too loudly.

"Why? Are you offering to join me?" His voice was husky and I smiled, still not meeting his eyes and liking this game we were playing.

"Maybe next time if the bottle is more expensive and if it's whiskey instead."

As if remembering why he was here, he took the bottle again and stepped back.

"Well, it's not for drinking tonight, Ms. Kelly. It's actually for my brother."

I processed his words and finally turned in my seat, meeting his eyes. "Which one? Is he alright?"

"He will be," He took another step back towards the door before stopping again.

"Actually, you might be of help, Ms. Kelly, you still remember your nurse training?"

I nodded, all thoughts of the game we were playing forgotten and stood up.

"Let me get my bag."

I was halfway up the stairs when Thomas yelled from downstairs: "Come to Watery Lane, Ms. Kelly!"

 **A/N:**

Guest: Thanks! Hope you'll like the rest!

PeakyThank you!


	6. PART 1 CHAPTER 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Peaky Blinder's characters, only the ones I have created.**

 **CHAPTER 5**

You thought that by the sound of it someone was getting murdered inside the house I was looking at. And it sounded very much like Arthur. With a sigh, I stepped forward and knocked on the door, a small suitcase in one hand.

It took a moment before it was pulled open and revealed an older looking woman who had dark, curly hair more so than my own. Her eyes were dark brown and her red lips pressed into a thin line.

"You're the nurse?" She asked, looking down her nose at me.

"Was," I corrected her. "Was a nurse."

The woman pursed her lips. "That's good enough. The way my nephew's been screaming 'is 'ead off, you'd think he's dying, but it's not that bad. Come in then. I'm Polly."

Introducing myself, I followed her into the house through a narrow hallway leading into a larger sitting room.

There was a small cooking area on my left and on my right, there was a big round table at which the patient sat.

My eyes fell on an entrance at the back of the room leading to a different area in which I could see people moving around - I recognized it as the betting shop the Shelby's owned.

John was leaning casually against the wall next to it with a matchstick rolling around in his mouth, watching his brother.

Another woman was currently tending to the older Shelby – dabbing at his face with a dirty cloth - shushing him to be quiet.

At that moment Thomas entered the room from the betting shop, closing the curtains behind him – his blue eyes swept over me and that's when the other Shelby's noticed me too.

I felt four pair of eyes boring into me and I tried not to feel too intimidated by it. Clearing my throat, I offered them a forced smile, stepping closer and placing my suitcase on the table.

Arthur's face lit up at the sight of me and he sat a little straighter.

"Ah, me help has arrived," he groaned, one of his eyes were shut and there was blood on his face and on his shirt.

Polly took a seat next to him laying his hand flat on the table – one of his fingers was bent in an odd shape.

The other woman had stopped trying to clean Arthur's face – she had the same features as the Shelby brothers. Her dark hair reached just to her chin and her blue eyes, so like her brother Thomas's, narrowed at the sight of me.

"You know, I'm a trained nurse too," she said, her voice sounding a little offended. Polly rolled her eyes at that and lit a cigarette.

Arthur laughed. "Don't make laugh, Ada. It hurts me face."

Ada put her hands on her hips and huffed: "I bloody am."

"You went to one first aid class in the church hall and got thrown out for giggling," John said pointedly.

"Not before I learned how to stop somebody from choking."

"I'm not bloody choking, am I?" Arthur asked, his eyebrows raised.

"You will be when I wrap this cloth around y'er neck," Ada hissed and that's when I decided to step in.

"I'm sure you wouldn't have needed my help," I reassured the Shelby sister, slowly taking the cloth from her hands and dipping it in the bowl of boiled water on the table.

"But you know how men are, they turn right into stubborn children when they're like this."

Thomas chuckled and Ada smiled at me, her eyes softening a bit. She studied me again and then decided:

"I like her, Tommy, you should bring her around more often."

"What happened?" I asked, pulling out a chair next to Arthur and starting to wipe the blood off his face.

"It was that bloody Irish copper," John spat.

I blinked at that, feeling shocked. A policeman beat Arthur up? For what?

"I was at the pictures when his men came to get me," Arthur grunted. "Wanted to ask some questions."

I raised an eyebrow. "Looks like he did more than just asking questions."

I softly turned his head to the side to examine the cut next to his eyebrow.

Thomas moved to my side, taking the cork out of the bottle of rum he was holding and pressed it into his brother's hand. "Take this, Arthur."

Arthur quickly took a big gulp, his face scrunching up at the alcohol going down his throat and then he handed the bottle to me.

I drenched the cloth with rum before pressing it to the cut on his eyebrow. He hissed in pain, but didn't stop me.

"He said Mister Churchill sent him to Birmingham, Tommy," Arthur groaned.

My eyebrows furrowed as I proceeded to examine Arthur's hand and took out a small wooden stick from my suitcase to act as a splint for his finger.

 _Why would Churchill send an Irish policeman to Small Heath?_

Arthur continued: "National interest, he said. Something about a robbery."

I noticed Polly staring up at Thomas with a pointed look which he ignored.

"He knew all about our war records, said we were patriots, just like him. He wants us to help him, to be his eyes and ears."

Arthur was staring at Thomas while saying all of this, waiting for any response, but Thomas kept quiet.

"We don't help coppers," John said, his face filled in disgust.

"I said to him,-" Arthur flinched as I pressed the wood to his finger and started wrapping a cloth around it.

"I said to him we'd have a family meeting to take a vote."

I stopped wrapping the bandage around his finger and his eyes fell on me, stopping his next words.

The other Shelby's seemed to realize I was there too and no one said any more on the matter.

I kept my eyes on his hand, not showing how much I actually listened or cared for his words.

Thomas didn't seem surprised at Arthur's words, meaning he already knew about this so-called robbery. And so did Polly.

I fastened the bandage and gave his hand a little tap. "There, all done."

Arthur lightly took my hand and gave it a squeeze. "Thanks, love."

John grinned, all thoughts about the Irish copper forgotten. "Maybe I should get myself beat up too so I can get Kara's hands on me."

Ada slapped him for that comment and I laughed, feeling the earlier tension leave my body.

Thomas placed his cap on his head and slapped Arthur's shoulders with both hands.

"Come on then, let's get you a drink." His eyes fell on me.

"You too, Kara."

That was the first time Thomas called me by my first name.  
 **_**

 **A/N:** Thanks for the favourites and the follows!

 **JToshiro (Guest):** Thank you! Hope you'll keep enjoying it!


	7. PART 1 CHAPTER 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Peaky Blinder's characters, only the ones I created.**

 **CHAPTER 6**

"Where have you been?" I asked Daniel stopping midway in taking a bite from my apple as he strolled into the pub.

I hadn't seen him since the incident with Grace – I figured he had just locked himself in his room to be alone.

He threw a bag of coins on the table I was sitting at and grinned. "Collecting our winnings from the Kempton races, of course."

My face fell. "Why didn't you ask me to come?"

He motioned to Harry for a drink before sitting down. He frowned. "Does it matter?"

I bit my lip. The truth was I was looking forward to going there today and getting a glimpse of the head of the Peaky Blinders.

I had even put in a little more effort in the way I looked this morning, but I wasn't about to admit that to Daniel though.

I still hadn't told him about what had happened between Thomas Shelby and me – the deal we'd made, but now that I thought of it, was it really a deal?

All we agreed upon was that maybe we could help each other out in getting Kimber's attention.

"Guess what I found out today," Daniel said, accepting the glass from Harry and pulling me out of my thoughts.

He shook his hair out of his face which badly needed a cut and he grinned. "So, we know Billy Kimber's head of the Birmingham Boy's and runs most legal tracks outside of London, right?"

I nodded rolling around the apple in my hands and added: "We found out he controlled some of the races at Kempton, but wasn't gonna be there."

"Right, well, I found out where he _is_ gonna be," Daniel said, stealing the apple from my hands and taking a bite.

I raised an eyebrow. "Well, where?"

"Cheltenham Races. His assistant made a reservation for a table with _explicit_ requests for Kimber. We should go there and try to get him alone and then we strike."

My heart hammered inside my chest. We were so close.

"There's just one thing," Daniel said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"We need to find a way in. Apparently, it's invites only, but we'll figure it out."

He stood and flashed me his teeth. "I'm gonna go pack."

I felt the smile drop from my face. "What? Why? The races aren't for another week."

He gave me an incredulous look. "We should move closer to Cheltenham, Kara. We'll be able to check out the site and it's just easier. Besides, I figured you'd be happy to leave this shit town."

I only offered him a weak smile as he ruffled my hair and left for the stairs.

~.~.~.~

I hadn't packed yet, even though I had told Daniel I had. I knew I was being silly. Daniel and I had come to England for one thing, and one thing only. That was to get revenge.

I shouldn't feel sad about leaving Small Heath behind – who in their right mind would want to stay in this crime-ridden, poor town?

I stared at the bleak and chipped wallpaper across my bed.

I shouldn't feel sad about leaving, but I was.

And if I was being honest with myself it wasn't the town or this room, it was Thomas Shelby. He triggered something inside me, a feeling I didn't know I could still feel.

It was a sort of connection I had with him. When I stared into his eyes, I could see my own pain reflected there and knew he understood.

I'd lie if I said I also wouldn't feel the tiniest regret of never seeing his brothers again either – they had made me laugh in a way I hadn't done in years.

With a sigh I snatched my cigarettes off my bedside table, fluffed up my hair and left the room.

Without bothering to answer Harry's question as to where I was going, I left the pub and let my legs take me away.

It was dark, but not that late yet so there were still a lot of people around.

I didn't notice the small bubble of excitement that hung in the air or see the smoke rising up from the next street over.

So when I turned the corner I was surprised to see a sort of bonfire in the middle of the street.

I paused a few feet away stopping a young lad walking towards it.

"What's going on here?" I asked him.

The young boy looked somewhat familiar to me as his blue eyes glanced up at my face – he looked a little shocked, almost as if he had been caught in the act of doing something bad, but upon realizing I wasn't an authority figure, he relaxed.

"We're burning pictures of the King," he said as if that explained it all, gesturing to the large frame he held in his hands.

I raised an eyebrow about to ask something else when I was interrupted.

"What's the hold-up, Finn?" Thomas Shelby asked, laying a hand on the boy's shoulder, making me realize the two were related.

 _Another Shelby brother?_

Thomas regarded me with an amused glance – I must have looked rather bewildered.

"Go on, put that with the rest, will ya?" He clapped the boy on his shoulder, urging him to his other brothers.

Arthur waved at me and I gave a small wave back.

"What's this all about then?" I asked when the boy was gone. Thomas's eyes hadn't strayed from my face.

He sighed. "We're having a bit 'o trouble with that Irish copper." He took a drag from the cigarette I hadn't seen him holding and I nudged his shoulder.

"It seems to me that this will only add more _fuel_ to that trouble."

He raised an eyebrow at me.

 _Dammit, not even a little smile?_

I rolled my eyes and watched for a while as more pictures were added to the fire. People cheered and some passed around a flask.

I sneaked another look at him and could tell there really was something on his mind, I could tell by the small crease between his brows and the tension in his jaws.

"We're leaving tomorrow," the words left my mouth without me meaning them to.

Thomas turned towards me. He took the cigarette from his mouth and blew out a line of smoke. His expression was unreadable.

"Pick out a nice dress. I want to take you to the races."

I blinked at him. "Didn't you just hear me?"

He sighed impatiently and stepped closer. "Billy Kimber's going to be at the Cheltenham Races and I'm taking you with me," he clarified.

"I thought we'd agreed to help each other, Ms. Kelly. This is me helping you."

I bit my lip and tried to hide the surprise on my face – it seemed that he had his sources as well – and also the joy I felt at him asking me to go with him.

It wasn't just that I was happy he had asked me, this would also solve our problem of getting into the races in the first place.

I just didn't think Daniel would like having to stay behind while I go.

"How would I help you?" I asked uncertainly as the thought struck my mind. I had a feeling Thomas wouldn't be asking me just for the company.

His brought his hand up and pushed a lock of my hair behind my ear – his touch almost made me shiver. His gaze was intense, but his smile was teasing.

"Wear something red, Ms. Kelly."

I blinked at him, my heart hammering inside my chest as his hand lingered near my cheek.

"I heard Kimber can't resist a woman in red."  
_

A/N: Thanks for reading! I'm really trying to make it a slow burn between Thomas and Kara, but I was wondering if this is something you'd like to read about as well? Also, I'll try to stick to the main story with a few alterations!

Guest: Thanks! I'm glad the prologue got you hooked! I hope you'll like the rest too!

Guest: How they learned about the powder trick is explained in chapter 1! Someone told them who witnessed the powder trick done on the horse by a Chinese girl :) And thanks so much!


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